A day in the life of a trainee solicitor at Osbornes Law

A day in the life of Laura Brogden, one of our trainee solicitors.

9.30 – I arrive at the office at around 9.30 every day. Osbornes have pretty flexible working hours, allowing me and my colleagues time for caring responsibilities, other commitments, or just a morning gym class! My first activity is always to review any emails that have come in overnight and speak to colleagues about any points of note. I also put together a quick list of any actionable tasks for the day.

10:15 – We receive instruction from a client regarding her Will and Lasting Powers of Attorney. These have already been sent to her in draft, but she had additional instructions that require amendments of all documents. I make the relevant amendments and additions for the fee earner to approve so I can get the documents make out to the client promptly.

11.00 – I have been asked to attend a couple of meetings today, so I familiarise myself with the relevant documents to help prepare and aid in completing any Attendance Notes, all whilst monitoring my emails and completing a couple of quick administrative tasks whilst I go.

12.00 – My supervisor has requested that I join her in a meeting with her Client and a Notary Public on an International Estate matter. The deceased died intestate with assets in both the UK and abroad. The client has asked us to assist in providing an Affidavit confirming UK intestacy regulations so that the assets outside the UK can be dealt with, hence the need for the Notary. After the meeting, I spend some time finalising the Attendance Note and confirming the next steps with my supervisor.

Lunch – We’re a sociable firm, so I usually spend lunch getting some steps in with friends from the office. Today I took a slightly shorter lunch to review some points for our Charity Committee, which I joined whilst I was still a Paralegal.

14.30 – Another meeting with some Clients who are looking for advice on their duties as trustees of a discretionary trust. They are not satisfied that complete distribution of the trust property is appropriate given the personal circumstances of one of the beneficiaries. I attend with my supervisor to take a note of the advice provided.

16.00 – On one of our estate administration files, there have been some issues relating to release of funds from an asset holder. Having liaised with the asset holder yesterday, they have now provided a full response. I review the correspondence to confirm their position and collate a plan for an appropriate course of action for approval by the fee earner.

16.30 – Around this time on most days, I tend to review my inbox and to-do list to ensure I haven’t missed any urgent matters. This gives me time to complete anything outstanding before the end of the day. Today I have a few smaller tasks outstanding – a payment to be made for an Inheritance Tax liability, some internal emails about ongoing matters, and a couple of small queries from clients that I can either respond to myself or refer to the relevant fee earner as appropriate.

Home Time – Most days I leave the office between 17.30 and 18.15. It is uncommon for supervisors to need you to stay after this time, although it does happen on the odd occasion!